A Dinner Not Fit for a Princess
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: After a dinner date with Eric, Ariel discovers some foods are better left uneaten. R/R


DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Melody Noelle Coralsen, along with anyone else you don't recognize.

God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: I want to thank my best friend, Kate, for helping me come up with the title as well as her input with the story itself! his idea has been floating around in my head for a few weeks. I've finally decided to write it out!

"A Dinner Not Fit for a Princess"

"There you go." Ariel said as she placed Melody in her crib. She sat down beside her daughter and put a hand through her fast growing brown hair.

Melody relaxed as she felt her mother's calming touch.

The minute Ariel stood up, Melody took that as her cue to do the same.

"No, no, sweetheart." Ariel corrected her. "It's time to go night-night now." With that, she helped her to lie back down.

Sebastian poked his head in the room just as Ariel said no for the third time.

"She's as stubborn as you were." He commented from the doorway. "You used to give your mudder such a hard time at bedtime."

Ariel gave him a Look.

"Did I really? Melody, no."

Sebastian grinned.

"I'll give de child points. She's persistent."

"Don't encourage her, please." Ariel said as she helped her daughter lay back down for the fourth time.

"What are uncles for?" He asked.

"Sebastian, not now. Eric and I have to g-o in a few minutes."

"What's with all de…" Sebastian asked, but Ariel cut him off.

"If I say the "G" word, she'll never get to sleep."

"It's not like she knows where you're…" His voice trailed off.

"It doesn't matter." Ariel said as she patted Melody's shoulder in an attempt to keep her still. "You know how she is."

"Ain't dat de truth." Sebastian said. "So when are you comin' back?"

"In a few hours." Ariel replied. "That's if we ever get out of here."

"Well, you can't fault Melody for wanting to be with you."

"Cute." Ariel commented. "And I'm not. It's just that the restaurant we're eating at tends to fill up fast."

"Where's Eric taking you anyway?" Sebastian asked.

"That new Italian place near the beach." Ariel answered. "It's supposed to have really good pasta."

"Did he make a reservation?" The crab inquired.

Ariel nodded.

She glanced down to see Melody was finally asleep.

"I love you." She whispered as she kissed her on the cheek. With that, she left the room.

"Just be glad she isn't climbing out of dere yet." Sebastian said, referring to Melody's crib. He followed Ariel out of the room as he spoke.

"Eric thinks that's gonna start happening soon.

"When it does, I'll make sure I'm back home."

"Sebastian!"

"What? I'm just saying mun. De first time you swam out of your crib, you nearly gave your fada a heart attack. And he was young back den."

Ariel giggled.

She met Eric halfway to their room.

"So did she get to sleep?" Eric asked his wife.

Ariel nodded.

"Eventually. So, ready to go?"

"Sure." With that, they bade Sebastian good bye and left the palace.

The crab sighed before going into the music room. He hoped to find something to do there

He was also going to check on Melody in a little bit. He felt it was his duty as her uncle to make sure she was okay when her parents weren't around.

Meanwhile, Ariel and Eric had arrived at the Water Fall Garden restaurant a half an hour later.

They were seated quickly and the waitress took their drink order.

Ariel had apple cider while Eric had a glass of water with a twist of lemon.

Ariel laughed as she thought of what Sebastian had said.

"What's so funny?" Eric asked.

Ariel shook her head as she relayed the story to her husband.

Eric found himself chuckling along with her.

"You must have been a handful at that age. According to my parents, I wasn't much better."

"What did you do?" Ariel inquired. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"Well, once when the housekeeper was watching me, I got away from her and it took her four hours to find me."

"Well I think I have you beat there." Ariel said. "But this was when I was much older. Like eleven or twelve. I followed a whale migration all the way to Antarctica."

"I would say you do have me beat." Eric affirmed. "What made you do that?"

Ariel shrugged.

"I guess I did it for the adventure."

Eric smiled at her fondly.

"I wouldn't expect any less." He said.

"So do you see anything you might like to eat?" He asked her.

Ariel gazed down at the menu in thought. She quickly skimmed over the seafood dishes and went for the vegetarian ones.

It took Ariel a few minutes to decide. She finally chose a garden pasta dish with a pink cream sauce.

Eric nodded when he saw what she had picked.

"I've had that before." He said. "It's really good."

Once the waitress had taken their dinner orders, the couple relaxed into an easy conversation.

"So do you think Sebastian will ever be comfortable watching Melody on his own?" Eric asked.

Ariel almost choked on her juice while trying not to laugh.

"I don't think so." She said. "At least not until she gets a little older."

"Why do you think that is?" Eric mused.

"I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with a baby-sitting experience he shared with me back when I lived in Atlantica."

"Let me guess. The kids got away from him?"

"Something like that. But before that happened, he claimed he was a baby expert."

After dinner was over, the couple took a walk on the beach.

Ariel sat on a rock overlooking the ocean and smiled.

"Wanna go in?" Eric asked.

Ariel shook her head.

"I would, but it's getting late. I don't want to leave Melody too long."

"You're a great mother." He told her as he wrapped his arms around her.

Ariel grinned.

"Well you're a pretty good father yourself." She said.

The couple stayed like that for ten minutes before breaking apart.

When they returned to the palace, Ariel checked on Melody before heading back to the room she shared with Eric.

"Tank goodness you're back!" Sebastian shouted the moment he saw her.

"Sebastian, what is it? Melody's fine, I just checked on her."

"It's not dat." He said. "I heard de menu for tomorrow."

"Sebastian, I told you. Louie won't try and cook you again."

"Dat's not what I heard, girl."

"I'll talk to him." Ariel assured her friend. "Now, if you don't mind, I wanna get some sleep."

"Did you have a nice time?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ariel replied. "It was really nice. Are you staying?"

"Why not? You know me. I hate traveling at night."

Ariel nodded.

She climbed into bed and waited for Eric to join her.

Eric came into the room a few minutes later. He smiled when he saw Ariel waiting for him.

Wrapping a protective arm around her once he had laid down, Eric pulled her close.

Ariel closed her eyes and snuggled up to the love of her life.

She always felt safe in his arms and right now, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Around midnight, Ariel awoke with a start.

She glanced to her left to find Eric fast asleep.

She listened hard just to make sure Melody hadn't cried out for her.

When no sound came from her daughter's room, she sighed with relief.

Figuring whatever it was wasn't' too important, she closed her eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Just as she was drifting off, she heard Melody call for her.

"Mommy!"

Being careful not to wake Eric, Ariel swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

The minute she did, she had to sit back down. Something was definitely wrong.

"Mommy!" Melody called again.

Mustering all her strength, Ariel got to her feet and made her way to her daughter's bedroom.

Reaching her side, Ariel tried to quiet her down.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. I'm right here. What happened, huh? Did something scare you?"

Melody held her arms up as though to make her request clear.

"All right. But just for a few minutes. It's really late. Come here." With that, Ariel reached down and lifted her daughter out of the crib.

Sitting down with the child in her arms, she started to rock her a little while humming "Part of Your World."

The moment she heard her mother start to sing, Melody settled down.

"Is that what you wanted?" Ariel asked softly.

Melody responded by closing her eyes contently and cuddling into Ariel's hold.

After holding her for five more minutes, Ariel decided it was time to put her back down.

Setting Melody back in her crib, Ariel winced as she felt a stabbing pain in her stomach.

Melody awoke just then, but she didn't' make any moves to get out of her confined space. Something told her now wasn't the time.

"Shh," Ariel soothed as she rubbed her back. "It's okay. Go back to sleep."

Once she was sure Melody was going to be okay, she stood up and prepared to leave.

She got as far as the hallway before more pain came.

Managing to get back into bed, she curled up next to Eric and closed her eyes.

'Maybe I ate too much. She thought to herself. With that, she tried to go back to sleep.

Two hours later, Ariel awoke once again. This time, she didn't have to think to know what had woken her.

Not wanting to wake Eric, Ariel decided to try drinking some water.

She left the room as quietly as possible and made her way to the bathroom.

She had just finished filling a cup with water when the pain grew worse.

Collapsing to her knees, she let the cup fall to the floor.

It hit the tile with a crash, its contents spilling everywhere.

Ariel held her breath. She prayed the sound wouldn't wake anyone up.

Ariel managed to close the door halfway in an attempt to keep from waking anyone.

She brought her knees up to her chest in an effort to stop the pain.

Just then, the door opened a crack and a familiar Jamaican accent met her ears.

"Ariel, what are you doing awake?" Sebastian asked. He then got a look at her and grew concerned. "What is it, child?"

Ariel winced as she met his gaze.

"I don't know." She said in between labored breaths. "My stomach hurts!"

Sebastian nodded.

"Well, it looks like you won't be goin' back to dat place."

"Sebastian, just do me a favor and get Eric, please?"

"Sure ting, girl." With that, he was gone.

When he got to the door, he gasped.

Max was standing in front of it.

"Now, you know who I am." He said to the dog. "I need to get in, mun."

Max didn't move. He didn't' growl or make any attempt to attack, but he didn't' move either.

"Come on, mun. Ariel needs help."

Still, the dog stayed put.

Sighing heavily, Sebastian went back to the bathroom to tell Ariel what was going on.

He found her in the same position she had been in a few minutes ago.

"Sebastian, where's Eric? " She asked through gritted teeth.

"I can't get in. Dat dog of his is guarding de door."

"Sebastian, Max won't hurt you. Would you rather go down to the kitchen and get Carlotta?"

"No tanks, girl. I'll take my chances with jaws."

Ariel giggled, but soon regretted it.

"Please, Sebastian, don't make me laugh. It hurts too much. And if you start singing "The sound of Laughter. Ow!"

"All right, all right. I'll be back. But if you hear me scream…" With that, he was gone.

Ariel sighed as she slumped against the side of the tub. She knew she needed help.

She also had faith in Sebastian's ability to get it for her. He had never let her down before.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Carlotta was just finishing up her midnight cleaning. She didn't mind working for Eric and she rather liked Ariel a lot.

The girl never asked for much and always offered to help.

Putting the dish towel down, Carlotta left the kitchen and made her way upstairs to her bedroom.

Getting to the top of the stairs, she heard a whimpering sound coming from the bathroom.

Opening the bathroom door, she gasped at the sight she found.

Ariel was sitting on the floor, doubled over. She was holding her stomach and whimpering softly.

"Oh dear." Carlotta said rushing to her side. "What happened?"

Ariel tried her best to explain.

"I'm not sure!" She answered.

Carlotta felt the girl's forehead and frowned.

"OH my." She said. "You feel warmer than last night's fire. We should get you back to bed at once."

As Carlotta went to help Ariel stand, the girl cried out in pain.

"Maybe I should get Eric. " Carlotta thought aloud.

"No. Don't wake him up for this. He needs his rest."

""So do you." She countered. "And you're not going to get it sitting on the bathroom floor."

Ariel couldn't argue with her there.

Finally, ten minutes later, Carlotta managed to help Ariel to her feet. She guided her back to bed and tucked her in before leaving the room.

"I'll be back to check on you in a bit." She said. "try to get some sleep." With that, she was gone.

Ariel tried her best not to cry out from the pain. She didn't want to wake Eric up.

It took her an hour, but she finally managed to get some sleep.

Eric awoke a few hours later to the sound of Ariel whimpering softly.

Thinking she was having a bad dream, he put a hand through her hair before pulling her close.

When she recoiled back in pain, he became worried. She had never refused his comfort before.

"Ariel?" He said. "It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Came her soft reply.

Realizing she was awake, he grew even more concerned.

"What is it?" He asked worriedly.

"My stomach!" She answered weakly. "It hurts!"

Eric sighed. He knew Ariel too well by now. She wouldn't have told him out of wanting to protect him. He knew she had kept this from him out of love, so he didn't call her on it just yet.

"How long has it been hurting?" He asked tenderly as he brushed a few strands of red hair out of her face.

"Since last night. " Ariel replied truthfully.

Just then, they heard Melody call for Ariel.

"Mommy!"

Ariel went to get up, but Eric stopped her.

"I'll see what's wrong with her." He offered. "You stay here and rest. I'll be right back. I love you." With that, he gave her a kiss and left the room.

Returning a few minutes later, Eric sat down beside Ariel.

His wife was curled in a ball, trying to make the pain stop.

"Melody's fine." He told her. "She just wanted to get up. I got her dressed and gave her to Carlotta for a little while."

Ariel nodded as another stab of pain made her almost cry out.

"It's okay." He soothed, seeing the pain in her eyes. "I'm right here. You're gonna be fine."

Ariel tried to believe him, but it was hard. She appreciated what he was doing for her though.

A part of her felt guilty for not being able to get Melody up. She had always been the first one to greet her daughter in the morning. She felt a part of her day was incomplete without the usual morning routine.

She was about to say something, when a horrible feeling came over her.

She recognized it instantly and she didn't' like it.

She had only felt this way a few times before in her life.

Once was when she was first pregnant with Melody. The second time was when she had consumed alcohol for the first and last time.

The only other time was when she had gotten the stomach flu really bad back home. The only difference was, it hadn't happened then, thank goodness.

The only other time she had felt this bad was right after she had lost her memory when she was thirteen.

Other than those few times, Ariel had been very healthy.

Clapping a hand to her mouth, Ariel jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. She reached it just in time.

When Eric caught up with her, his heart broke at the sight he found.

Ariel was leaning over the toilet gasping for breath.

Sweat was forming on her forehead and tears of pain were spilling from her cobalt eyes.

Eric could only get in back of her and pull her long red hair out of her face as she lost the contents of her stomach for the second time that morning.

"Shh, it's okay. Ariel, it's all right." Eric soothed his wife.

Ariel merely whimpered as her stomach lurched again.

Once she was done, she collapsed in Eric's arms shaking and still in pain.

All the young man could do was hold her and assure her she was going to be all right.

Ariel finally fell into a restless sleep an hour or so later.

Eric tucked her in bed and didn't leave her side once for the rest of the morning. He had a feeling it was going to be a long one…

Eric spent the rest of the day and the next taking care of Ariel and Melody.

He wanted to be there for his wife, but he knew their daughter needed looking after as well.

By the next afternoon, Ariel had spiked a high fever and she wasn't able to keep anything down.

As for the pain, it was still the same. What made matters worse, it was stopping her from getting the rest she needed.

By that night, Eric had gotten Ariel a bucket to use. This was easier than Ariel trying to make it to the bathroom every time she felt sick.

She had gotten so weak in the space of two days that she could hardly sit up, let alone stand or walk for very long.

Eric was really starting to worry about her. He only prayed whatever she had would pass soon.

Melody was worried about her Mommy too. Even though she couldn't express her feelings in words yet, she knew something was wrong.

She never spent this much time with her 'Aunt Carlotta before. She was used to spending time with Ariel.

When her Daddy had told her she would be spending the day with her aunt, Melody knew something was different.

Her mother hadn't come to wake her up that morning either. That in itself was strange and unusual.

Even though she missed her mother, Melody was good for Carlotta. She did enjoy spending time with her.

Regardless of this, she wanted her Mommy back and soon.

Eric assured the two-year-old that her Mommy was going to be fine in time.

Melody knew her Daddy wouldn't lie to her, so she had no trouble believing him now.

Ariel didn't find relief until four days later. She was still weak and in a great deal of pain, but at least she was able to keep some tea and broth down.

This made Eric very happy. He hated seeing his wife in pain, especially when he couldn't do anything to take it away.

Sebastian checked on the girl throughout the next few days. He was relieved when she started feeling better.

Eric pulled Ariel close and planted a loving kiss on her cheek.

It had been five days since her ordeal with what Eric could only assume was either food poisoning or a bout with the stomach flu.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." He said with love in his eyes. "I hated seeing you like that."

"I hated feeling like that." Ariel confirmed. "I just hope it doesn't happen again for a very long time if at all."

"That makes two of us." Eric agreed while stroking her hair. "That definitely makes two of us."

"The funny thing is," Ariel mused quietly, "I don't know what made me feel so bad. I haven't eaten anything since we went out to eat on…" Her voice trailed off as realization hit. "…since we went out on Monday night."

Eric nodded as he started putting the puzzle together along with her.

"It must have been the pasta you ate." He concluded.

Ariel gave him a puzzled look.

"But I've eaten pasta before and it's never made me sick like that."

"Then maybe it was the sauce they used." He suggested.

Ariel thought about this as she closed her eyes and let sleep take over. She was relieved to finally be able to sleep for more than an hour at a time.

If there was one thing she knew, it was that she would try her best to stay away from that strange dish the next time Eric took her out. She was glad to be feeling better and she was in no hurry to repeat the experience anytime soon.

Later that night, Ariel was feeling well enough to get out of bed without feeling too weak.

She made her way to her daughter's room and went inside.

Standing next to her crib, she smiled down at her.

"Sweet dreams, my sweet Melody. I love you so much. Mommy's sorry she wasn't able to spend time with you these past few days. But I'll make it up to you. I promise." With that, she kissed her daughter's cheek before leaving the room.

The next morning, Ariel felt stronger than she had in a few days.

Smiling to herself, she pushed the covers off and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Once she found she could stand without feeling weak or dizzy, she went about the task of getting ready for the day.

She had just brushed her long red hair out when she heard Melody call for her.

"Mommy!"

Grinning to herself, Ariel left the room and walked down the hallway.

Entering Melody's room, she found her daughter wide awake and very happy.

When Melody saw her, her brown eyes lit up with excitement.

Reaching her arms up, she giggled as Ariel picked her up.

"Aw, good morning, sweetheart. Someone's happy this morning!" She observed as she picked the little girl up.

"Mommy." Melody said with a smile.

Holding Melody close, Ariel planted a kiss on her cheek.

It felt wonderful to be able to share the morning with her daughter again.

Sitting down with Melody in her arms, Ariel realized in that moment, she was where she was meant to be.

THE END


End file.
